The Fisher-Price PXL2000 was a camcorder made for kids. I got the PXL2000 as a present way back in 1988. Using its proprietary Pixelvision technology, it really seemed ahead of its time. It records about 15 minutes of black and white video to a CrO₂ audio tape.

Unfortunately, its $100 price tag contributed to its demise; it survived two years in the market. Its departure was also hastened due to its ability to devour six AA batteries in only 30 minutes.

I didn’t finalize any of my video footage until 2004. The footage was recorded just after Christmas in 1988. I was really anxious to try out my new camcorder and new model rocket. All the footage was shot at Naples Park Elementary School along with my family and a few bystanders.

Before Naples started to sprawl and commercialize, there was a lot more room for such activities—launching model rockets, flying model planes, etc. The huge field behind the school was perfect for rocket launches.

With the wind moving in a calm westerly direction, we pointed the rocket slightly east. It probably reached 1000ft before deploying the parachute. It was a long way drifting towards the west. The animated image shows a few key frames of the event.

One thing you might notice in the video is the loud whirring noise. The reason is because the camcorder’s motor would spin the tape so fast that it’s picked up by the microphone.

Post Mortem for the PXL2000: After reading various web pages, it seems they are rare in quantity and functioning units are even harder to find. Fortunately, mine fits into the latter category. To read about the history of the PXL2000, the technology behind Pixelvision, and various stories of its usage with independent filming, I suggest Wikipedia.

This entry was posted by Matthew Crumley on Saturday, August 4th, 2007 at 9:56 AM. Matthew is currently a software developer who works on simulation devices and their user interfaces. In his spare time he reads the news, dabbles with code, is active in his homeowner association, and enjoys life with his wife and pet terrier. You can leave Matthew a comment or trackback from your own site. Follow comments to this entry via RSS. Explore other posts marked with these tags: project, PXL2000, video.